By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Rohan Culmer, FTF Class of 2024 prospect, signed the dotted line on his professional contract to join the Washington Nationals on Saturday at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.

The signing made Culmer the sixth of seven Bahamian baseball players to make their dreams a reality last week during the 2024 MLB International Signing period.

The 17-year-old got his start in the sport nearly a decade ago within the Freedom Farm Baseball League. He was always a bona fide athlete and demonstrated his capabilities in the shot put event as well during his time at Temple Christian under the coaching of Nekeno Demeritte.

In a room filled with his loved ones on Saturday, the Class of 2024 prospect reminisced on the obstacles he faced on the journey towards finally watching the ink dry on his professional contract. “The journey wasn’t easy. I faced a lot of obstacles like moving away from my family, travelling to different countries and adjusting to new environments. It was a lot to take in but I knew what my passion was and I committed to pursuing my dream. I recall my first time playing in the Dominican Republic, noticing the increased competition. There were much older players with higher skill levels and competing with them made me sometimes question myself and capabilities but I used this as a fuel to push even harder and improve my skills,” Culmer said. The infielder was grateful for the support and life lessons he received from family, friends and coaches he encountered over the years.

“I put my trust in God and I have seen him bring me through all the obstacles and hard times leading up to this point. I want to thank my mom, dad, sister, aunty, and the rest of my family for always being there and supporting me as I chased my dream. Thank you to Freedom Farm for being my foundation and introducing me to baseball, here I developed the love I have for the game. Thank you to all my coaches, especially coach Sands, Seymour, Stubbs, LJ and coach Newbold…I also want to thank coach Demeritte, my first coach, who introduced me to sports in primary school.

“I want to thank the Washington Nationals organisation for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to do what I love professionally. This is only the beginning and I am going to continue to work hard and push myself daily to become a better athlete and grounded individual. I look forward to this journey and making a positive impact on the organisation,” the new Nationals player said.

Castino Sands, Culmer’s former coach at Freedom Farm, witnessed the infielder blossom from an awkward player to a stud on the baseball field.

Sands said he initially knew that Culmer would be a work in progress but after watching his hard work and dedication, his opinion changed.

“Rohan was awkward. I had a conversation with one of the assistant coaches at the time and said this is going to be our project for the year because Rohan didn’t seem comfortable but I can tell you that did not last.

“Every day and every practice you saw him taking a step further and, by the end of the very first season, Rohan was the man on the squad.

He was a stud from that time to now. He worked hard and seeing him sit here right now is a testament to that fact that he continues to work hard,” Sands said.

He added that Culmer has not arrived as yet but he will definitely get there with hard work. The coach expressed his happiness for his former athlete’s success.

During Culmer’s time away from home he trained with Jose Fortuna, owner of the Fortuna Training Facility. The baseball trainer was grateful for having the opportunity to work with the infielder.

“This is a very special day. I want to Thank God for the opportunity to work with so many kids from The Bahamas. I want to thank the Johnson family because you guys opened so many doors for kids to come to my place and just like Rohan, go after his dream. I want to say to the Culmer family, you guys did it… You did your part, Rohan this is just the beginning,” Fortuna said.

Culmer was the lone Bahamian to be signed by the Nationals last week and, according to the team’s Latin American scout director Victor Rodriguez, they are confident in their decision.

“Today is a great day to be a Nat because we are not just adding a terrific baseball player that we believe has the upside to be a MLB player but we are adding a great human being with a great family which is invaluable to this organisation.

“We strive to take care of people and hearing everybody talk in this room today makes us even more proud of the investment we are making in you, knowing that you are gonna have the support you will have.

“We are super happy to be adding you to the organisation and the sky’s the limit. Just know we are gonna provide you with all the resources you need to move forward. Above all we are happy we are adding a quality human being with the ability to be a MLB player.

“Let’s go win a championship,” Rodriguez said.

Culmer along with fellow FTF prospect Phillando Williams, who recently signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, made it a total of seven Bahamians to sign professional contracts to end the week.